An exceptional MBA resume is essential if you want to get into your dream school. The competition to get into the best MBA programs can be fierce as most applicants are incredibly talented professionals in their various fields. With so many applications, the admission committees only take a few seconds on each resume.
David DavisMBA Candidate - Corporate Finance Specialist 545-784-668 daviddavis@gmail.com California City, CA
Accomplished corporate finance expert and MBA candidate with more than eight years of experience managing financial operations. Highly skilled at implementing financial strategies to grow organizations, building high-performing teams, and improving internal controls to mitigate risk.
Work experience
Wells Fargo Corporate Finance Executive January 2016-December 2020 Collaborated with auditors to conduct annual audits and financial analysis to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations. Managed accounting for the company's yearly revenue of more than $500 million and ensured current financial records for financial operations were accurate and compliant. Compiled data, posted and corrected journal and ledger entries, prepared financial reports, and reconciled all accounts.
Westheart JG Junior Accountant June 2014-December 2015 Reconciled client accounts accurately to eliminate discrepancies by reviewing liabilities, income/expense information, net worth, assets and surplus inventory. Increased productivity of the office and improved office procedures to support the team and help them produce quality work. Mitigated outstanding accounts by resolving any billing errors and reviewing all invoices and payments received.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce - Finance University of Southern California May 2014
Skills
Accounts payable Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Financial strategy management Account Management Customer Service Communication Activities CPA certification (May 2016)
The best MBA resume templates can help you get the selection committee's attention by allowing you to organize your resume properly. They also ensure that you do not leave out any crucial sections in your resume.
This article will look at some tips that will help you write a resume that gets you into your dream MBA program.
There are many opportunities in the business field, even though the wages depend on your experience level. Career options in business include business operations, Finance Specialists, Management, Sales, and many others (Actuaries, Economists, Operations Research Analysts, Statisticians, etc).
According to the employment opportunities in business will vary, and the projected job openings between 2014 and 2024 will depend on each occupation (U.S Bureau of Statistics).
The business operations occupations with the most opportunities include:
Management analysts.
Market research analysts and market specialists
Claim adjusters
Appraisers
Examiners and investigators
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products Compliance officers
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
Logisticians.
The finance specialists occupations with the most opportunities include accountants and auditors, personal finance advisors, financial analysts, credit analysts, insurance underwriters, budget analysts, and financial examiners.
While the management occupations with the most opportunities include:
Marketing and sales managers.
Financial managers.
Medical and health services managers.
Computer and information systems managers.
Chief executives.
Human resources managers.
Purchasing managers.
The sales occupations with the most opportunities include sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, insurance sales agents, securities, commodities, financial services sales agents, first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers, and real estate brokers.
Other business-related occupations with many job openings include operations research analysts, public relations specialists, postsecondary business teachers, statisticians, actuaries, and economists.
The average yearly salary for an individual with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree is $90,000 (Payscale).
How to make a MBA Resume
The admissions committees get thousands of MBA applications, so you want your resume to get their attention. One way you can write a resume that stands out is by personalizing your resume and tailoring it to the specifications given for each MBA program. Some of the ways you can personalize your resume include:
Using a resume template or resume builder that allows you to add all the crucial sections to your resume.
Using the right format that presents your skills and experience in the best way.
It should be one page and leave enough white space to make it easy and comfortable to read the resume.
The layout of the MBA Resume
The best MBA resume format is the reverse-chronological order. This format is great because it allows you to focus on your professional experience and is perfect for candidates with years of experience in their field.
The structure of the MBA Resume
If you don’t have much experience, you can use the functional or combination resume formats. The functional resume focuses on your skills and works well for recent graduates. It allows you to talk about the abilities you possess that make you a unique candidate. The combination/hybrid resume is great for experienced individuals as it focuses on your experience and skills.
The structure of your MBA resume should have the following sections:
The header section
The resume summary/objective
Work experience
Education section
Skill section
An additional section (volunteer experiences, awards/honors, certifications, interests, languages, and computer skills)
Start with the Header of the MBA Resume
The header section is at the very top of your resume, and it contains your full name, job title, contact information, and Linkedin profile. You can also add a link to your portfolio or career blog.
MBA Resume Example of a Good Header
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Kathleen Cross
Marketing Manager
558-654-879
kathleencross@gmail.com
Grand Rapids, MI
linkedin.com/in/kathleencross
Example of a bad header for MBA Resume
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Kathleen Cross
Marketing Manager
558-654-879
kathleencross@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/kathleencross
Date of birth 03/12/1994
House number 33
4410 Wetzel Lane
Grand Rapids, MI
There is no need to include too much personal information in the header section.
Is a photo required in the MBA Resume?
You do not need to have a photo on your resume. Most U.S companies say they would not consider an applicant with a photo on their resume, and this applies to your MBA application. The photo tends to increase the chances of discrimination against a candidate, so it is advisable to leave it out of your MBA resume.
Choosing your MBA Title
You need to tailor the title of your resume for every application you send out. If you use one generic title for all your applications, it shows a lack of attention to detail and causes you to miss out on great opportunities. Your title should be short, catchy and tailored to each application.
Professional summary for MBA Resume
A professional summary is a perfect way to introduce your resume as it summarizes your accomplishments, experience, and skills. It is written as a short paragraph consisting of a few sentences and should compel the committee members in charge of selecting the successful candidates to read the rest of the resume.
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Ambitious with excellent team leadership abilities and success keeping teams on-task to meet or exceed the organization's goals and expectations. Focused on customer service and dedicated to increasing productivity and driving customer satisfaction.
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Motivated applicant looking for an opportunity to become an MBA graduate at your institution. Proven ability to streamline operational processes and committed to achieving business goals.
An MBA resume objective is perfect for recent graduates who do not have much experience in their field. It allows you to express your passion for the job and talk about your unique abilities that will be valuable as you pursue the MBA degree.
Work Experience in the MBA Resume
The work experience is a crucial section of your MBA resume. It showcases your professional experience by listing your work history and can help set you apart from all the other applicants. Many MBA resume examples can help you list your expertise correctly to ensure the selection committee does not miss any relevant detail. Take a look at our resume examples for further information here.
Describe your professional experiences on your MBA Resume
The best way to list your professional experience is to start with the name of your previous workplaces and employers, the job titles held, and the period you were at each workplace. MBA programs aim to train global business leaders, and having some experience in any business field increases your chances of getting a position in the MBA program.
It is always better to add the relevant experience to your MBA CV and start with your most recent position. However, if you don't have the relevant experience, you can add any other experience and talk about the transferable abilities that will be useful as you pursue the MBA program.
Pro Tip
It is also important to list at least three to five duties and achievements using bullet points under each workplace on your MBA application resume. You can also quantify your achievements using figures to help your MBA resume stand out from the other job seekers.
Examples of professional experiences for MBA without much experience
Delius Consultants
Digital Marketing Executive
June 2014-January 2016
Resolved customers' problems to their satisfaction, increasing the company's positive reputation by maintaining a loyal customer base.
Responsible for monitoring various company databases to ensure accuracy of inventory.
Provided assistance to clients with creating social media profiles to advertise their business activities.
Examples of work experience for MBA with experience
Rexter Inc.
Senior Administrative Coordinator
March 2015-December 2018
Motivated and instructed administrative employees on the best ways to complete routine and complex situations and tasks.
Delegated tasks accordingly after assessing each administrative assistant's skill level and knowledge, which increased the accuracy and productivity of the team by 20%.
Audited financial bookkeeping practices to ensure accuracy, compliance, and without evidence of fraud.
Education in the MBA Resume
An education section is essential to have in your resume whether you have experience or not. This section should have all your educational qualifications, whether it's a high school diploma, Bachelor's degree, or Master's degree. If you have a Master's, you do not have to add a high school diploma. If you want to use a more professional MBA resume template to help you write this section correctly, you can check out our resume templates.
Should you start with education or work experience for your MBA?
You can start with the work experience or education, depending on the resume format you choose. The functional resume focuses on your skills, and if you decide to use it on your resume, you'll start with education and skills. If you choose the reverse-chronological order, which focuses on experience, you'll start with experience.
How to properly list your education in an MBA Resume
When listing your education, you will start with the most recent qualification. You will include the name of the school, the degree and the major and minors (if applicable), and the year of graduation. You don't have to add the GPA, but if it's impressive and will help your MBA resume stand out, you can add it.
Example of the education section of an Resume for an MBA
Bachelor of Business Administration
University of Michigan
December 2014
Skills to put in the Resume for an MBA
The competition to get into certain schools is very high, and you want to have a resume that sets you apart from the other candidates. This section on your resume can help you with this as it showcases your unique abilities that some of the other candidates do not possess. The unique abilities you add to your MBA resume should show that you are skilled in your field instead of adding many different ones to beat the applicant tracking systems like you would for a job resume.
What are the main skills sought for in an MBA Resume?
Hard skills
Financial forecasting
Microsoft Office Suite
Report transcription
Data entry
Data collection
Office inventory management
Budget management
Accounting ledger management
Soft skills
Problem-solving
Communication
Time management
Decision making
Critical thinking
Customer service
Leadership
Strategic thinking
What skills for a MBA Applicant with less experience?
Calendar management
Answering inbound calls
Multitasking
Inventory control
Organize meetings
Letter and memo composition
Filing
Minute taking
What skills for a MBA Applicant with work experience?
Project management
Proficient in Quickbooks
Account management
Executive management support
Employee training
Client relations
Employee development
Creative problem-solving
Write the Ideal Resume Hook for an MBA Resume.
It's essential to ensure your resume is unique and has information that allows you to stand out, as we see in every MBA resume example. A great way to help your application stand out is by adding a resume hook that summarizes your professional achievements and value proposition. Personal descriptions, quotes, testimonials, and achievements are perfect for resume hooks.
Example of a tagline for a junior MBA Application
Motivated graduate with two years of diverse office experience with proven expertise in corporate-level support, client relations, expense reporting and supply maintenance.
Sample tagline for a senior level MBA Applicant
Recipient of the Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence in 2018.
Additional Headings for your MBA Resume
The perfect resume template always has an additional section to allow you to add additional information that helps your resume stand out. The selection committee always looks for candidates with unique insights and qualifications. This section enables you to show them what else you can do that sets you apart from everyone else. You can review an MBA graduate resume from other MBA grads to help you with this section. Some of the sections you can add here that we'll look at in detail include interests, computer proficiency, languages, and certifications.
Computer skills and certifications in an MBA Resume
You've probably seen a sample resume with computer proficiency in the skills section. While that is okay, it is easy for the selection committee to miss them because they only take a few seconds on each resume. This is why you should put them under a separate section to ensure they are easily seen.
If you have any certifications, you should list them under the additional section instead of the education section, which may be a bit crowded with your other educational qualifications. Some of the certifications in the business field that will help your resume stand out include:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Supply Chain Professional(CSCP)
Project Management Professional(PMP)
Interests in an MBA Resume
The interests in your MBA resume are optional. If you don't have any interests that will help your resume stand out to the selection committee, you should leave it out of your resume.
Languages in an MBA Resume
The languages on your resume can help your resume get the selection committee's attention, so you should list them in their section. It is essential to list the languages using the official language reference as stated below:
IELTS for English (with a score of 30 points and higher)
DELF for French (with a score of 70% and higher)
SIELE for Spanish
Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect MBA Resume
Here is a breakdown of the main takeaways from this article:
The right resume format is essential because it helps the selection committee to see your qualifications better.
Your MBA resume should be one page long, as some selection committees tend to toss out resumes that are longer than a page.
An exceptional resume summary/resume objective increases your chances of the admission committees reading the rest of your resume.
It's important to have an additional section that shows the selection committee what makes you unique, as seen in every MBA resume sample.
Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your MBA Resume
Most selection committees may not ask for a cover letter, but accompanying your MBA resume with one will help your application stand out. The perfect cover letter template allows you to write a cover letter that gets the attention of the selection committee. Cover letters give you a chance to talk about some of your achievements that set you apart from every other candidate.
Frequently Asked Questions for an MBA Resume
What is an MBA Resume?
An MBA resume gives the selection committee information on your qualifications and experience in your field. They use your resume to ask you questions during your interview to determine if you are qualified to join the program.
How is an MBA resume different from job resumes?
An MBA resume showcases your career progress and expertise in your field to help you get into your dream school for an MBA. A job resume is specific to each job, and you have to personalize and tailor it each time by adding the right keywords and action verbs to increase your chances of getting the job.
What is the purpose of an MBA resume?
An MBA resume helps you land a position in your dream school to pursue a Master's degree in Business Administration. It describes your achievements and professional qualifications and shows the selection committee the unique abilities that make you the best candidate.
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